Adaptive+and+Assistive+Technology

According to the United States Assistive Technology Act of 1998, assistive technology (also called //adaptive technology// ) refers to any "product, device, or equipment, whether acquired commercially, modified or customized, that is used to maintain, increase, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities." Some of the most common computer and technology based items used to help people function are screen magnifiers, touch screen displays, large key keyboards, over sized trackballs and joysticks, speech recognitions programs and text readers.
 * Page Created By: Shannon Ledig**
 * Definition:**

Teachers face a tremendous challenge when they have students in their classrooms with disabilities. Accommodating those students takes a lot of work but with the use of technology, some of these challenges can be remedied. Getting those helpful technologies could pose to be problematic because of cost and this is something teachers and schools need to consider when budgeting. Teachers also need to undergo further training in use of and incorporation of adaptive and assistive technologies in their classrooms. Use of adaptive and assistive technology can help teachers to reach students that may not be able to learn in the general education classroom because the technology is designed to work with their disabilities. Teachers need to push for inclusion of items such as those referenced above as well as televisions with closed captioning, radios, film/video with readable text, tape recorders, special calculators, computers with adaptive programs and software, internet in the classroom, and hybrid devices such as phones, audio players, electronic calendars and other applications.
 * Impact on Professional Educators:**

AAT has advantages and disadvantages that teachers need to consider. Technology can help individualize instruction, motivate students, allows new ways of accomplishing tasks,and compensates for disabilities. Technology also is only as good as the software and websites, don't always use sound principles of instruction, can be hard to find proper levels of content and interests or needs of children, can become outdated, and can pose difficult if technology is inaccessible.


 * Annotated Web-Based Resources:**

1) Education World

This is a comprehensive education resource website with a great section on technology. The general archive has a plethora of articles to review in relation to the advances and importance of the use of technology in the classroom. This specific page is about adaptive and assistive technology teachers can use in their classrooms. Included are pages for parents of students with disabilities to help them find technology resources. Teachers can guide parents to this page. The technology in the classroom page guides you to articles about advances in classroom technology. The Technology Center page is a resource page with information for parents, teachers, and administrators. Each section on the page has links to other organizations and sites that can help teachers in their quest for more information on assistive technology.

2) EnableMart

Enablemart's website is dedicated to helping teachers purchase Assistive Technology for those with blindness, low vision, hearing loss, learning disorders and other disabilities. They provide all the most demanded learning technologies such as augmentative devices, large key and large print keyboards, Braille displays, alternative input devices, switches and amplified phones. We carry the best name brands in assistive tech products like Dragon Naturally Speaking, Edmark Reading, Claro and Livescribe pens. They have included information to join their Webinars in which they will help teachers pick out and learn to use the best technology for their student's needs. Areas of assistance include speech and communication, learning and instruction, vision, hearing, sensory and motor, computer accessibility, switches and mobility. Just about any technology that can be used in the classroom to enhance learning for students with disabilities can be found on this site.

3) SC EDU

The school systems in South Carolina did a study and completed this comprehensive report on the use of assistive technology in the classroom and how it can be easily integrated. The site includes videos of actual students using the technology and showing that it works. The site lists 15 principles for successfully integrating assistive technology as goes into great detail for each point. The AT Resource page gives information on how to get a hold of technology with demonstration and consultation services. The online AT Exchange helps people get their hands on used equipment at affordable prices. Links are available for training and workshops on use of technology.